Katara's guilt
by doc boy
Summary: Based on the episode where the group go see a play about themselves. Aang and Katara have a fight about her feelings for him which leads both of them to a state of depression and guilt. Will they make up? Read to find out. Please review... Thank you...
1. Chapter 1

Katara's guilt

I don't own Avatar the last airbender

Aang and Katara were standing on the porch outside the theater after seeing the play.

It was a warm summer night. The crickets were singing, there was a slight breeze and the two kids stood there in an awkward silence while leaning on the railing. Finally Aang spoke

"Is it true? What she said in there?"

"What's true?"

"That you love me only as a brother"

"I didn't say that Aang. An actress said that"

"But is it true? When we kissed on the ship I thought it meant we could be together"

"I don't know Aang... we're in a war and I don't know if it's the right time for this"

"But I really have feelings towards you. And I just... I just it would work out..."

"I'm sorry Aang but right now I'm just very confused..." Katara said as she lowered her head with her mouth slightly opened.

Aang didn't really know why he was doing what he was about to do. Maybe it was desperation or he was testing Katara but either way he leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her lips

"I just said I was confused!" said Katara with frustration

"You know what? Maybe I do love you as a brother because you often act like one. I'm going back inside"

"Katara wait!"

"I'm sorry about earlier I was just..." but he was too late because she already went through the curtain doors

"UGH... I'm such an idiot..." groaned Aang in frustration as he smacked himself in the face with his fist. He then sighed and leaned over the railing again, only this time Katara wasn't there to keep him company. He looked to the place where she stood moments ago and was reminded of the words she just said.

_"Maybe I do love you as a brother because you often act like one"_

"She... only loves me... as a brother? After all we've been through? Hadn't she noticed how affectionate I've been towards her? Haven't she noticed me blushing every time she gave a hug or a kiss on the cheek? Or when I made that necklace for her? Hadn't she seen the feelings that laid behind that?..."

"Oh man... now she'll never want me as her boyfriend..." Aang said as he put his hands in his palms and started to cry softly...

He felt like someone has taken a dagger and stuck it through his heart and jabbed it around. His heartbreak was so strong it would ache and he wanted him to scream in agony... as much as it hurt, he didn't want his friends to him like this. So he decided to walk home alone before anyone would start asking questions. He whipped his face, and took a short condemning and hating look at the theater while thinking of Katara before he started walking home. As he walked Aang felt like his heart was dripping blood and he was leaving a trial of blood behind him with every step he took. He loved Katara dearly and the fact that she doesn't want him as a boyfriend made him feel like a zombie. Just taking it one step at a time with a dead mind. One step and one day at a time with a dead mind and a bleeding heart.

By the time he managed to get back to camp, the rest of the group was halfway home behind him wondering where he is. By the time he was about to get into his sleeping bag he heard a voice and saw someone running towards him

"Aang!"

"Hey Soka..."

"Where have you been? We were really worried about you" Soka said as everyone caught up with him

"I decided to leave early"

"Yeah but you could have at least told us. We were worried sick about y..." Soka stopped speaking in mid sentence when he saw how red Aang's eyes were

"Hey are okay?" he asked as his tone changed from irritated to concerned

"I'm tired. I'm gonna go to sleep early" he said taking a quick blaming glance at Katara as she lowered her head in shame as Aang got into his sleeping bag

"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little sick" said Katara in an attempt to make peace with him. But all Aang did was turn his back to her in his sleeping bag and faced a different direction

"Just let him be Katara, he seems kinda irritable" said Soka and signaled everyone to leave Aang alone.

Time passes...

Everyone has fallen asleep except for Katara. She wanted to apologize to Aang but it won't do much good unless she could change her feelings for him. Even if she doesn't she could try to apologize for being harsh on him and say she will always be his friend but that's probably not gonna be enough for him. As painful as it will be for her she'll probably have to do that either way because she still wants him as a friend and she doesn't want to be at war with him for the rest of their lives. Besides if she doesn't make peace with him soon, the rest of the group is gonna figure out something's going on and she doesn't want to be portrayed as the bad one. Her thoughts were interrupted by someone whispering her name. She opened her eyes and saw Aang who was sleeping in front of her, whispering her name in his sleep and seemed to be crying at the same time.

_"Katara... katara... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you..."_

_"Oh man... what have you been done?..." she thought_

_"I never meant to hurt him like this... I was just trying to..."_

her thoughts were interrupted by Suki shuffling in her sleeping bag. Suki was sleeping in front of Katara where her legs are and was now facing Aang just like she was. She hoped she didn't hear or see him and was still asleep. Katara sighed softly and decided to get out of her sleeping bag to get some fresh air and try to put her thoughts in order. She walked to the edge of mountain they were on and sat on a stump onlooking the sea. It looked beautiful at night. The sky was crystal clear and the stars reflected beautifully on the black water of the sea beneath her. Just seeing the beach reminded her of Aang automatically wanting to enter the water and before she knew it, they had a beach party. But thinking about Aang only increased her pain and guilt. She put her hands in her palms

_"Why does this hurt so badly? I know I should have been nicer to him but why do I feel my heart flutter every time I think about him?..."_

Katara was startled to hear some shuffling behind her and she saw Suki sitting on the stump next her

"Hi Suki..." she said in a slightly depressed voice

"What are you doing up?" asked Suki

"I couldn't sleep. Why are you up?"

"I was woken up by hearing Aang whispering in his sleep as tears were dripping down his cheeks. Whispering your name and trying to apologize for something"

Katara sighed as she put her head in her palms again as Suki put her hand on her shoulder for support

"We had a fight earlier..." said Katara after a short silence...

"About what?"

Katara hesitated about whether or not she wanted to answer that because it was kinda private. In the end she said

"He asked me if I loved him as a sister like in the play and I said I wasn't sure. He then said he has feelings for me and tried to kiss me but I turned him down saying I was confused"

"I then turned to leave and he tried to apologize and I threw it at his face..." said Katara as tears were now dripping down her face and they burned with pain, guilt and regret. They felt like liquid steam

"And I told him that maybe I do love him as a sister because of his behavior and walked away. But the thing is I'm not sue if that's true. I never was. And now I don't know what to do. On one hand I want to make peace with him and be friends again, but I don't think he's really gonna be in a mood to talk if I don't love him back. But I don't want to lose him as a friend..." sobbed Katara as she cried into her palms as Suki hugged her around the shoulders in an attempt to comfort her

"it's not too late to fix this situation Katara"

"it's not? How do you know?"

"listen to me Katara. When you're with Aang what do you feel? Especially when you're alone?"

"I feel like he's a part of me. A part that can and should never be separated. I feel happy and fulfillment... like he's the one I want to be with for the rest of my life..." It was then that Katara truly realized how she feels about him

"Oh my G-d I really do love him..." she looked at Suki as if to gain her approval. All Suki did is nod sadly

"Oh G-d what have I done?!..." Katara sobbed with anguish as she put her face in her hands again, releasing herself from Suki's hug

"You broke his heart. He really cares about you, you know that? I've seen the way he looks at you." said Suki sadly

"He loves you Katara" Suki said in a sad and serious voice

"He loves you" she said again and put her hand on Katara's shoulder

"Do you know how painful it is to have someone break your heart? Especially if it's a person you love and he or she turns you down? It's terrible! And I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even the firelord."

Katara whipped her nose with her sleeve and sniffed.

"What can I do?"

"Talk to him. Tell him how sorry you are and how you really feel about him. Tell him how much you need him and you can't be without him. Try to be a support for him during this rough time"

"But all Katara did was shake her head

"But he won't even look at me. I made him hate me. He wouldn't be interested even if I told him. I missed my chance"

"Try. But first you might want to give him some time. Wait for the anger to be replaced with pain, which doesn't take long. Maybe a day or two. Wait for him to be sad and wait for you to come back. That should be the best time to try and make peace with him. That's when he'll want to listen and talk to you"

"But what about the rest of the group? I don't everyone to know what happened"

"You'll just have to deal with it when it happens. For now try to deal with your pain as he deals with his. When he's ready try talking to him. Until then you'll just have to bite the bullet"

"Okay..." said Katara

"Thank you so much for your help and advice Suki. I don't know what I would have done without you"

"It was my pleasure Katara. You know I'm always happy to help" Katara nodded as tears threatened to burst out of her eyes again so Suki gave her another comforting hug

"Come here... you'll be alright Katara. I promise. And so will Aang. Hopefully he can find it within himself to forgive you and turn over a new leaf"

Katara nodded as Suki continued to hug her for another minute or so until she said

"Come on let's try to get some sleep"

Katara nodded as they separated from the hug and they both went back to sleep hoping for a better tomorrow...

To be continued...

Well? How do you like it so far? I hope to write the next chapter either tomorrow or within the next few days. Either way I hope you like it...

Please leaves reviews if you can...

Thank you...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Guilt meets anger

Katara woke up to the sound of sizzling and got up to see the gang frying some eggs for breakfast. She walked towards them as Sokka said

"Morning Katara"

"Morning. Um... not that I'm complaining but why did you let me sleep in? I was supposed to help prepare breakfast"

"Suki told me you had a rough night so I let you sleep in. Besides we figured you could use it because you seemed kinda stressed out lately"

"Um... thanks..." said Katara while scratching her head

"Where's Aang?" she added while looking around trying to find him

"He's over there" said Sokka pointing to the far left of the camp and Katara turned to see Aang sitting on the cliff side

"How long has he been there?"

"At least since I woke up which was an hour ago. I asked him if he wants to join us but he said he's not hungry" said Sokka

"Whoa! Aang is not hungry? That can't be good" said Toph who was sitting on the ground, leaning on a rock with her feet in front of her

"I know. If you ask me, something's bothering him" said Sokka while poking the eggs as they fried

"Yeah people do that sometimes. It's sort of a defense mechanism. Like a cover up" said Toph

"Yeah I thought he might be covering something up, the question is what" said Sokka

"Let's not try to read his mind, it's his business" said Suki

"You're right" said Sokka as he removed the eggs from the fire

"Breakfast is ready" he said as everyone sat down to eat but Katara remained standing and looked at Aang sitting there, very depressed and knowing it was her fault. She turned her gaze forward and downward

_"This is all my fault... why did I have to be so harsh on him last night? I just hope I can still make peace with him..."_

"Katara!" she heard a voice call

"Hey Katara! Earth to sister!" Sokka yelled as she snapped out of her trance

"Uh?"

"Are you gonna sit with us or what?"

"Oh... right..." she said absent mindedly

Time passes...

Breakfast has ended and everyone decided to relax on the grass and watch the clouds. It was a beautiful sunny day and the temperature was warm with a slight breeze. Everyone was laying on the grass either looking at the clouds or dozing off. Everyone except Katara that is. She sat on the grass hugging her knees, trying to work the courage to walk up to Aang and try to make peace with him. On one hand she wanted to to make peace with him and tell him how she feels but on the other hand, he seemed to be in a hostile mood right now...

"Don't worry about him Katara. He'll be fine" said Sokka as he got up to see his sister staring at him worriedly.

"I'm gonna go talk to him" said Katara as she got up and started walking

"I'd be careful if you were you. He seems pretty irritable"

"Thanks for the warning" Katara answered as she turned around for a moment, then kept walking.

When she reached him she saw him sitting on a stump and was throwing rocks over the cliff and into the sea below. Katara didn't quite know how to approach him. So all she could say was an awkward

"Um..." while scratching her neck

"What's on your mind Sis?" asked Aang coldly as he threw another rock over the cliff. The coldness in Aang's voice worried her because Aang usually doesn't talk to her like that. Let alone calling her 'Sis'.

"Sis?" she asked slightly hesitantly and confusedly

"Yeah, Sis. You said you love me as a brother so we might as well start referring to each other as brother and sister shouldn't we?" said Aang, moving his hands as he talked, refusing to face Katara. Even though he had his back to her, for the quick glimpse she got of his face, she could see his eyes were cold and empty. Like they've contained so much hurt, they can't contain it anymore and those cold empty orbs is all that's left. Seeing Aang's eyes like this, instead of being lit with life and happiness, at least when she was around made Katara feel even worse

_"Oh badly did I hurt this poor kid? Was it that bad?..."_ a tear made it's way to Katara's eye but she blocked it

"Come on Aang let's stop with these games"

"Oh yeah sure, we can stop with these games. Why not?" asked Aang sarcastically as he picked up a stick and threw it in front of him as Katara watched him, slightly scared of what he might do or say.

"Too bad you didn't say that last night, or even before that for that matter. When you started loving me as a brother"

"Aang I..." began Katara

"After all we've been through I thought the feeling might be mutual. At least to a certain extent. After all, I saved your life a few times and we had a few touching moments and I made that necklace for you. I didn't make it only because I was trying to be a good friend, I did it because I love you. Or at least I did"

"Aang please..."

"No it's okay, it's okay" he said casually, lifting his arms slightly sideways

"After all we've been through I thought I might be worthy of your love and affection but apparently I was wrong. I'm sure you'll fall in love with someone else. Someone who is not the avatar, someone who's stupid, boring and without a sense of humor. Good luck!"

"Aang stop it!" Katara snapped and he turned around to face her for the first time. His eyes were dark and cold and they were red due to lack of sleep. His face was stiff and his usual smile was gone. This sight startled Katara and made her take a few steps back

"What?" asked Aang sarcastically.

"Want me to give you a brotherly hug?" he spread his arms sidways

"Aang stop this, please!" yelled Katara with tears in her eyes

_"I DO love you..."_ She sobbed and tried to hug him but he stepped back

"I'm sorry Katara but after last night I'm not sure if I love you. I need to put my thought in order"

Aang was so caught up in the argument that he didn't know his friends back in camp heard the whole thing

"He loves my sister? I can't believe I didn't see that" said Sokka as he smacked himself on the face.

"That's explains Aang's cover ups and Katara's strange behavior. He loves her but she turned him down last night" said Toph as she sat, listening with her arms crossed

"Not fun" she shook her head

"Well we gotta do something!" said Suki

"Like what? You can't expect us to interfere can you?"

Suki sighed

"Last night I spoke to Katara and she's telling the truth. She does love him and he loved her. Look at them, they're a perfect match. We have to find a way to try and make peace between them" she said as the group watched Katara running to the tent, sobbing and Aang walking to the cliff face on the other side of the mountain.

Toph sighed and said

"Fine. I'll talk to them"

"Thank you Toph. I know it's hard for you. But it's best if I don't interfere because of my talk with Katara last night. I need someone else to try and make peace between them"

"It's Suki, don't sweat it"

"Okay" she said as Toph walked towards the tent to talk to Katara

To be continued...

Well how do you like it so far? Pretty dramatic huh?

Please leave reviews on your way out...

Thank you...


	3. Chapter 3 Aang's guilt

Chapter 3 Aang's guilt

Toph walked towards Katara's tent wondering what she should say to her to cheer her up and how she was gonna make peace between her and Aang. When she reached the tent, she moved the curtain doors to find Katara sitting on her knees next to her sleeping bag, sobbing into her hands

"Katara?" she asked gently as she approached her and sat down beside her

"Why didn't I tell him sooner?" she sobbed

"How could I be so stupid? After all we've been through?..."

"He still loves you, you know..." said Toph as she put her hand on Katara's shoulder

"No he doesn't... he just said he's not sure if he loves me anymore..." said Katara as she faced Toph. Her face was soaked from tears and her eyes were swollen and red

"He was just mad. I may be blind but I can tell that he loves you dearly from the bottom of his heart. He's not gonna let this fight get in his way. His anger simply clouded his judgment. After the anger goes away it will be replaced with sadness and determination, hoping you may change your mind. Give him some time to cool off and see what happens. I'm sure he'll come around"

Katara gulped and said

"Thanks Toph. You're the best" she hugged her

"You're welcome Katara. Just try to stop crying okay? I'm sure that Aang will realize that he still loves you. And if you two can forgive each other, you could live happily ever after. Isn't that what you want?"

"More than anything in the world" said Katara honestly

"Then you should start preparing because that moment is right around the corner" Toph smiled

"Thanks again Toph" Katara said as she managed to put a smile on her face

"You're welcome. Just try to cheer up okay? I'm sure you both will be fine"

"Yeah..." said Katara as Toph got on her feet and left the tent

_"Now where's Aang?"_ she wondered, as she walked around the mountain until she found him on the right cliff side of the mountain sitting on a stump and looking into the distance

"Hi Aang" she said as she sat on the stump next to him

"What do you want Toph?" said Aang

"I just want to talk" she said simply

"Then talk" said Aang as he threw a rock off the cliff

_"This is not gonna be as easy as I first imagined..." _thought Toph

"Look I know you're mad at Katara but I think maybe you should give her a chance"

"Why should I? She didn't give me a chance" said Aang as he threw another rock off the cliff

"Because I know you love her. I understand why you're mad but your anger is clouding your judgment. Would you really give up your love for Katara so easily? After all you've been through and all the times you spent together?" where's the fighter in you that I know?"

Aang sighed and said

"I don't know... a part of me still does love her. More than anything. But another part of me says to drop it because she already turned me down and there's nothing I can about it..."

"There is" said Toph

"What do you mean?" asked Aang as he turned to face her

"When you argued earlier she tried telling you that she does love you. Why don't you go for it if she really did change her mind?"

"Because I'm still not sure if I love her back. Plus I'm not sure if she really meant it"

"Of course she did. You think Katara would say something like that if she didn't mean it? She was crying when she said it. How couldn't she mean it?"

Aang sighed and said

"I don't know..." he said

"Then you might as well figure it out. Because the girl you love is now sitting in her tent crying. I suggest you sort your feelings out fast so you can go to her and apologize and try to comfort her" said Toph as she got up and walked away.

Aang sat there on his stump, looking at the sea beneath him and sighed deeply as his head sank into his arms

"What am I doing?" he asked himself as he grasped her hair in his hands

_"I think I still love her but every time I try to admit it to myself I think of what she said last night and that stops me. How am I supposed to make peace with her if can't beat this internal struggle?" _Without noticing, Aang summoned the advice of Avatar Ruko, he appeared in front of Aang and asked him

"Something on your mind Aang?" he asked

"Oh hey Avatar Ruko" said Aang as he straightened up

"You seem upset by something? What is it that bothers you?" asked Avatar Ruko

"There's this girl who I really had feelings for. Up until last night I thought I loved her but now I'm not so sure. We've been through a lot. We've had a lot of touching moments together, I saved her life a bunch of times and I even made a necklace for her instead of another one she lost. And after all that she said she loves me as a brother and it broke my heart. Now I'm not sure if I still love her. A part of me wants to say yes but another says that it's too late and there's nothing I can do now if that's how she feels"

"Take my arm Aang" said Ruko as he extended his left arm to Aang

"What?" he asked, confused

"Take my arm Aang. I want to show you something" said Ruko as Aang got up and took his arm. He then felt weird. It felt like the world was moving past him and the sky was getting dark. When the movement stopped he saw himself and his friends, sleeping in their sleeping bags. He then realized they went back in time.

"Come with me" said Ruko as Aang followed him to where himself and Katara slept

"Watch" he said

Aang stood there and noticed that Katara was still awake while everyone else was asleep. He could see there was a lot of pain and guilt in her eyes. He then saw something that surprised him. He saw himself crying and talking in his sleep

"_Katara... Katara... i'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you..."_ he then saw something that shocked him. A single tear dripped down Katara's face as she got up and sat on the edge of the mountain. Soon to be joined by Suki as they talked about her fight with Aang

"Let me ask you something Katara. What do you feel when you're with Aang? Especially when you're alone?'

"I feel like he's a part of me. A part that can and should never be separated. I feel happy and fulfilled. Like he's the one I want to be with for the rest of my life"

"Oh my G-d I really do love him!" she cried and put her face in her palms.

This touched Aang and made him take a step backwards. He was taken aback by what she just said and felt guilty about being mean to her earlier

_"Oh man she really does love me... oh what have I done? I had the chance to be with her and I missed it!" he thought_

He felt even guiltier when he saw that after she finished talking to Suki she didn't fall asleep right away. She cried herself to sleep. This made Aang's heart ache with guilt and remorse and pity for his friend's pain. Then the world seemed to move again as Ruko took them a few hours forward to when Aang had a fight with Katara. He never knew he could be such a jerk. Especially to Katara who he swore to love and protect and to never hurt no matter what. But because of his pain and anger he wanted revenge in a way. When he saw Katara crying in front of his face saying that she does love him, he felt so guilty and jerk like, he felt like he couldn't live with himself anymore. The last thing Ruko showed Aang was Katara sobbing in her tent after her fight with Aang and that made his pain, regret and remorse even stronger.

"You see Aang? When you see things from a different prospective and learn things you didn't know, you look at the situation in a different light. This trip has also showed you how much pain you've inflicted on Katara just like she's inflicted on you. She loves Aang. And I hope this trip helped you realize that your still love her"

"I do! Words cannot describe how much I love her"

"Then go over to her tent and apologize and tell her how you feel" said Ruko

"I will. Thanks Avatar Ruko. I owe you one" said Aang as he hugged his old ancestor

"You're welcome Aang" he said as he returned the hug

"You're welcome" he repeated as he began to disappear and the vision was over.

Aang opened his eyes and ran to Katara's tent

"Katara!" he yelled

"Katara I'm..." he began as he entered her tent but stopped mid sentence when he saw she was sitting there on her knees, looking very depressed.

"Katara?" he asked gently

She ignored him as he sat down quietly beside her

"Katara listen. Words cannot describe how sorry and guilty I am for what I said earlier. I was a complete jerk and I feel terrible about it. And I am sorry from the bottom of my heart... could you find it within yourself to forgive me?..."

There was a short silence but after a few seconds Katara nodded and turned to face him and said

"I forgive you"

Aang was startled to see her eyes red and swollen from constant crying and weeping and her face was wet from tears. A single tear made its way down her cheek as Aang whipped it off

"I'm sorry I hurt you Katara. I promise you I will never do it again. I thought about what happened earlier and it made me realize something..." said Aang as he whipped off another tear coming out of Katara's other eye

"It made me realize that I do love you... I love you beyond description and I will never hurt you like that ever again... I love you so much, it feels like my heart is too small to contain all the love and emotions I have for you..." he said as his face got closer to hers

"I love you too Aang... and I will never stop loving you no matter what... I will never let something this get in our way ever again..." she said as they both smiled and kissed for the first time in their lives. It was like heaven. Like a bird of relief came flapping down and made the pain and grudge dissolve away, leaving nothing but happiness and relief. Aang put his arms around Katara's neck as she did the same with his as they fell to the ground and made out on Katara's sleeping bag. It felt wonderful. It made them feel happy and warm. They had this cuddly and fuzzy feeling they never wanted to let go of. A feeling of indescribable pleasure and happiness. And at that moment, they knew they were meant for each other and they would spend the rest of their lives together. Once the need for air became desperate and unavoidable, they separated from the kiss and remained hugged and cuddled in each ether's arms, laying on Katara's sleeping bag...

"I love you Aang... I love you so much..." she said

"I love you too Katara... and I will never stop loving you no matter what..." said Aang

"I love you too Aang... I love you too" said Katara as they kissed and made out once more and slowly drifted to sleep, laying hugged and cuddled up in each others arms knowing they would someday get married and raise a family... and they couldn't be happier about it...

And they lived happily every after...

The end...

Well what do you think? Pretty touching and romantic huh? Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Did you like it even more?

Please tell me what you think on your reviews on your way out...

Thank you...


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